Week 1

Well one thing is for sure, "they" are right when they say the first couple of weeks are the toughest. Week 1 kind of kicked my butt in the beginning, but I was able to make it through... and I haven't had any thoughts about quitting!
Monday was the official start of my training. We did some light running on the treadmill in the gym just to get my body into the whole running thing. BTW, I'm not doing this alone. A friend of mine here (Andrew) is serving as my training buddy/coach. He's run half marathons before and has been really good about keeping me motivated and on track! Anyways, Monday was pretty simple. Tuesday was a rest day from running, so I did some weight training in the gym and a little cross training on the stationary bike... again, nothing too intense. Prior to all of this, my gym workouts were mainly on the elliptical machine and some light weight lifting, so I'm not completely out of shape. But as you know, running is very different from the elliptical machine (and apparently running on the treadmill is a LOT different from running outside on the roads, which I would find out the hard way later!).
Wednesday was another day in the gym, but my run was more intense. I'm currently running at about a 12:30 to 13:00 minute mile pace. This run was only for 2 miles, but still, it was kind of kicking my butt a bit at the end. At the end of our workout, Andrew informed me that we would be taking our run outside the next day. "Ok" I'm thinking, this shouldnt be too bad... I mean, if I can run inside I can run outside, right? Well, let me tell you, running outside is a lot more demanding than running on a treadmill! Which brings us to Thursday.
Now I had been kind of dreading Thursday. I knew it would be at this point that I would start to want to give up. So I pretty much spent all day worrying about the Thursday run and if it would be too tough for me. Once we started though, I felt pretty good... until about 3/4's of the way through. Then my legs tightened up on me and every step was a fight. Unlike the treadmill, the road outside doesn't help you along by moving for you :o) Although I was supposed to run the whole thing, I ended up having to walk at a brisk pace for about a minute just to give my calves a break (sad face). After that, I was able to press on and finish up the run. We were supposed to go 2 miles and by the time I reached the end, I thought my calves were going to fall off!!! As I'm nearing the finish, Andrew pulls out a piece of folded paper and tells me to open it up once I stop. I get to the flag pole, open it and it reads "Congratulations! You just ran 3 miles!". That sneaky little bastard! He'd upped the mileage on me! Oh well, I'd finished and I felt great about it... but I did learn one very important lesson. NEVER underestimate the need for stretching! My calves seized up becuase I hadn't adequately stretched them! You really need to take your time and get in a good LOOOOONG stretching session before you run and you need to stretch after as well. It can make or break your run, seriously.
Friday was a much needed day of rest before heading into the first "long run" of my training. Saturday at 9am Andrew, Mark and I met up to stretch and get going. Prior to this, I spent about 25 minutes stretching in my apartment, paying particular attention to my problem spots (calves, shins and ankles). I don't have any arches in my feet and as a result, my foot pretty much slaps the ground with full force, creating a lot of impact on my ankles and knees. I wear inserts in my running shoes, which helps a lot. I also over-pronate, which means that my ankles roll inward when I walk or run. Most people's feet aren't perfect so I highly suggest that before you start a training program, you go to a running specialty store (and no, not like a Foot Locker, but a place where the staff are runners and have an in depth knowledge of running shoes) and get a good pair of sneakers that address your specific needs. I have a great pair of shoes that I purchased about a year ago, but clearly never ran in them! They help keep my ankle stable and drastically reduce my chances of injury. You need a good running shoe if you're going to put in this kind of mileage every week... DON'T SKIMP!
Anyways, back to the run! So, we head out and my only goal for this run was to not stop running! I was going to get through the whole thing! Well, I felt really good... surprisingly good and strong! I wasn't going to let those hills kick my ass today! My legs felt good, my calves didn't turn on me and I was able to get through the run! I even felt like I could have run some more! I don't know if I was experiencing the runner's high or if I were just really excited about finishing, but I felt giddy as we came to a stop outside of our complex. I'd gotten out there and put in a pretty damn good performance! Ha! And it felt great. Afterwards, I rewarded myself by hanging out at the pool with friends and enjoying the beautiful day.
Sunday was a day for rest and reflection. I'd completed week 1 of my training... and for the first time, I actually felt like I could do this. I mean, up until this point, I was still telling myself that this was borderline crazy. But after Saturday, I really started to believe that doing this was possible! I'm hoping that will carry me through week 2 (which I'm sure willbe tough) and onward to my goal.